Copper Lake 10.11.08

With the great weather I was looking to tuck in another Home Court peak before the weather turns unsavory. Earlier in the week I had planned on doing Shroud Mt. which is just South of Fisher lake near Tonga Ridge. I had to laugh when I got a email from Stefan hoping to pair Shroud with Terrace. His plan wasn't to leave Monroe until after 11 am which is pace that I could not keep up with. I opted to leave early and I had hoped to crosss paths sometime during the day. As it has been lately I have had some bad luck in regards to climbing. My last two outings ended in equipment failures which wouldn't allow any summits. For today I was blessed with a road closure. The Tonga Ridge Road is closed. I was very disappointed, but I tried to scramble up a back up plan. My concern was I had no other maps with me and I couldn't get cell reception without backtracking. I decided to settle for a trail hike to Copper Lake instead. I felt ok about being off my intended route because I was sure I would see quite a few people along the way. This presented another issue, I usually leash the Beagle so he just chase any deer and forget to come back. My Shepard is fine without a leash because I rarely see anybody. The Shepard is rather imposing and seems to become somewhat aggressive when he senses fear. I thought it best to leash the Shepard and hope that the Beagle would stay close. As it turns out, it worked fine. The trail to Trout Lake is it usual rocky start made even more annoying with the icy rocks. The bridge crossing the Foss River is out but there is a convenient log to cross downstream from the old bridge. This was quite interesting because the log had a nice sheen of ice over it. I decided to cheval it instead of chancing a slip. I had a little trouble refinding the trail but if you keep heading upstream you will run right into it. I passed my second favorite tree of all time
I am always in awe everytime I pass this tree. I would guess it is in excess of 25ft in circumference. I made it rather quickly into Trout Lake which I have never been to fond of. It is dank and today smelled like urinal hockey puck. I passed the turnoff for Delta lake which can be found as soon as you reach the creek for the first time. I remember the trail to be much steeper than it really is. I kept thinking I will reach the steep part soon which never really happens. As you climb the falls and the views open up

For some reason I thought the bridge crossing was out so I was happy to find the bridge intact although it was covered with a light dusting of snow. I soon reached Copper Lake bathed in bright sunshine. I snapped some pictures and soaked up the rays. I ate a quick lunch and then was off for the car. I found it funny that the descent took roughly the same time as the ascent. I passed quite a few parties enjoying the beautiful mid October day.

Approx 8 miles 2500' of climb 5:30 car to car

Lion Rock 9.14.08

With the last day of vacation upon me I wanted to have a family picnic. I had tried to climb Lion's Rock #64 on the BC/100 earlier this year even though one can actually drive to the summit. With every list I am sure there are some gimmies. In most cases I try to resist doing it the easy way. On my attempt earlier this year I made it to the ridgeline only to be blasted by winds so strong that I could not even stand up. I remember thinking how nice it would be to make a return with the family on a nice sunny day. Today was that day. The crux of the day was driving the road from Liberty. The initial part is fairly good road but the second half is bumpy and unpleasant. It is 16 miles from Liberty adding to the family's discomfort. Finally we reached the end of the road after my 50th "we are almost there". True to form the weather was pleasant and the views were worth the aggravation. I enjoyed having both my daughter's tag their first Full Court Peak. Once again my oldest concocted a summit dance which this time I had the foresight to record for prosperity. We had a nice lunch and enjoyed the waning hours of Daddy's vacation. Even though it is 6 miles further to head towards Ellensburgh I opted for that choice. My thinking was the road had to be better. For once I made the right choice! The road soon switched to a narrow PAVED road. I am sure it is much faster via this route. Another great day in the mountains albeit a little less conventional.




Approx 20' 0' climb 20 seconds car to car

Scatter Peak 9.12.08

With the recent nice weather streak coninciding with my vacation I thought it best to take advantage. I had hoped to do a long day but my family needed me in the morning. I had to scramble for a back up plan that didn't involve the full day. I hadn't been up the Fortune Creek Road via car so I wasn't sure how far I would be able to drive. I thankfully was able to drive to the 4WD road that leaves to Van Epp's Pass. The road was barricaded due to the fire in the Jack Creek area. I knew I wouldn't access any of the closed areas so I promptly disregarded the trail closed signs. I was a little surprised to see two other rigs parked. Since I had such a late start (1PM) it was warmer than what I would have liked. I walked the road until I reached the North Fortune Creek Trail. I always enjoy being on a trail for the first time. The trail was in good shape and was steep in some spots. The plan was leave the trail just after crossing to the East of North Fortune Creek. I was struggling with heavy legs so I decided to stay on trail instead. As it turns out I would be much faster to leave the trail. After joining the County Line Trail you have to give back substantial amount of elevation. The County Line trail is easy to follow in places and not existent in others. I left the CLT aiming for the basin just below Scatter Peak. There are many meadowy/swampy areas that you could go through. I chose to stay on the margin of the rockslides on the East side of the basin. Soon I reached the lovely basin and dropped pack. It appeared to me that there are a few ways to go from the basin. It does look harder than it really is. I chose to head up almost directly to the summit. The footing wasn't great but I have seen much worse. I rounded an outcropping an reached a sub ridge that I followed a short ways to some slabs. I wasn't thrilled with crossing the crumbly slabs but thankfully the pitch isn't that steep. I was able to tease a route up to the summit using some small cracks. I topped out and was able to find the summit regsiter which I quickly signed. I snapped a few pictures before making my way very slowly down the crack system. I hadn't noticed the fires still burning in the Jack Creek area until I returned to look at the pictures. I guess I was much more concerned about my downclimb. On the way down I angled more towards the 6600' pass between Scatter Peak and


Scatter 2. The footing seemed more secure and I didn't have to cross the boulder field to rejoin my belongings in the basin below. Once I reached my pack I had a quick bite to eat and was off for the descent. I decided to forgo the CLT and instead just freewheel the descent. I was able to make it back to the NFCT without any issue. From there it was a quick jaunt to the car.



Approx 7 miles 3200ft of climb 5:30 car to car

Hibox 9.08.08

With the beautiful forecasted weather I was hoping to get out. My schedule ended up being compressed so I needed an efficient climb. Hibox was a perfect fit for this day, close and shortish. I made my way to the Rachel Lake trailhead and was off. I had been up the initial part of the climber's trail so I knew the way. The trail leaves the Rachel Lake trail just shy of 3300' after the second major clearing. The trail for the first 2000' was very easy to follow remarkable for a climber's trail. I was able to find some nice running water at around 4600' which I was thankful for. I was concerned about the dog's lack of water, I did have some extra for them but it was nice not have to use it. Once the trail breaks out in the open it is a little hard to follow but since the objective is plainly in sight it is of no bother. Once I reached the summit block I angled to the the NE to access Hibox's SE Ridge. The views on the way up were great to the South but they do not compare to the views to the North. I knew the last 250' would involve some Class 3 scrambling, but initially I couldn't find an easy way up. I looped around the North side and couldn't find anything. I was crestfallen because I really wanted to finish this one off. As I descended back to the my stowed belongings I noticed a nice slot on the nose of the ridge. There were some nice steps going up so I took them. I made sure the dogs stayed below. I felt like they could make it up but I wasn't sure of their ability to descend. Once up the slot the going was straightforward. Thankfully the dogs for once listened and stayed put. As I climbed further the rock wasn't solid so I carefully checked each hold. I thankfully reached the summit and quickly snapped some pictures. I couldn't find a register. I slowly descended and reached by belongings that I had left on the ridge. After dropping 500' I met a couple making their way up. I gave them some what I hoped to be helpful advice. The descent went quickly and thankfully without any incidence. Another great summit on what was a perfect weather day.




Approx 8 miles 3900' of climb 5:50 car to car.